Michael Thompson took advantage of the absence of the number one player in the world on Sunday, winning his first career PGA Tour event at the Honda Classic in Florida.
According to the Associated Press, Thompson finished his final round with a 1-under 69 to finish the tournament at nine-under, taking his first career tour win as one of only five players to finish the day under par. Thompson made a number of difficult shots on the day, including a 50-foot eagle putt on the third hole.
"That for me kind of sealed the deal," Thompson said. "It allowed me to walk up the fairway and enjoy the experience, see the crowd and ... just finish strong."
Thompson finished the tournament with a two-shot lead over Geoff Ogilvy and now will play in his first World Golf Championship next week at Doral as well as two more tournaments later this year at Firestone and in Shanghai. The win also puts him in the PGA Championship, a start next year in Hawaii as well as a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
The finish at Honda was a rebound from two weeks ago when he missed the cut at Riviera.
"This week was magical," Thompson said. "Just had a groove and kept feeling it."
Ogilvy had a strong tournament after missing four straight cuts and after playing four solid rounds in Florida, he is ready for the next WGC tournament. He hit a number of tough shots on the hardest part of the course, making a chip birdie on the 16th green and finishing at seven-under for the tournament.
"I kind of penciled in a week off," Ogilvy said. "So it's nice, and it gets me back in the mix for the Masters."
Ogilvy is now ranked No. 47 and will play at Doral and as long as he stays in the top 50 he will play at Augusta National. Tiger Woods had a rough finish after coming into the day eight shots off the lead. He played well early to attempt a rally, but finished with a 74, failing to break par in any round of the event.
His final day was filled with a double bogey and an eagle on the final hole and finished tied for 37th place. Woods has had a solid start to the year after winning the Farmers Insurance Open, but he was not within striking distance at the Honda Classic throughout the weekend.
"It lowered my score by two, that's about it," said Woods, acknowledging that it wasn't the same as his 62 a year ago. "Not even close. I think I passed 62 somewhere on 12."
The tournament at first was making news due to someone who wasn't there, after Rory McIlroy walked off the ninth hole on Friday after shooting eight over par. After leaving the event, which made him ineligible for the scoring title this year, McIlroy cited wisdom tooth pain as the reason for leaving.
The absence of McIlroy and the mediocre play of Woods left Thompson as the last man standing for his first career PGA Tour victory.
